Feta cheese

[Anits]

My husband is newly diagnosed and struggling with what to eat. Is feta ok and if so, do I buy reduced or full fat?

 

[lovinglife]

Full fat feta is fine, low in carbs and the fat will keep him satisfied for longer, I never buy low fat anything, contrary to popular belief natural fats are good for you and your body needs them

I love Feta cheese but I’m such a salt fiend

 

[Chris24Main]

If you're buying for a newly diagnosed T2, this is going to be pretty confusing, because you are likely to be getting plenty of official advice to keep fat (and especially saturated fat) low, and to maintain a balanced diet, of wholegrains, fruits and veg.

It's going to be especially difficult, because you also may not have the same response to the same foods as your husband.

@lovinglife is totally on the money though, and lots of us here will attest. Fundamentally, type 2 diabetes is about someone struggling to cope with sugars and starches (which turn into sugars). Low fat alternative products are almost always made that way by replacing natural (and perfectly healthy) fats with heavily processed starches, which cause our blood glucose to rise.

Feta, Hallumi, Cheddar, Brie, pretty much all cheese is great, but should be full fat (and recognise that to mean "no added sugar")

 

[KennyA]

My husband is newly diagnosed and struggling with what to eat. Is feta ok and if so, do I buy reduced or full fat?

Feta and probably all cheese (I don't count the stuff that has fruit put in it) is fine in terms of being both low carb and high fat, and therefore satiating. I base all my meals around meat, and add some green vegetable, mushrooms or dairy to that. Tonight was a lamb mince curry with peas, for example.

The media (and most of the health professions) have not yet caught up with the substantial body of evidence that limiting saturated fats does not do what it was claimed it would. As long ago as 2019, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, previously staunchly in support of low fat, low cholesterol, and statins published this paper:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/scien...tm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=the-arrow-188

It says

•Several foods relatively rich in SFAs, such as whole-fat dairy, dark chocolate, and unprocessed meat, are not associated with increased CVD or diabetes risk.
•There is no robust evidence that current population-wide arbitrary upper limits on saturated fat consumption in the United States will prevent CVD or reduce mortality.

 

[Jaylee]

.

Feta, Hallumi, Cheddar, Brie, pretty much all cheese is great, but should be full fat (and recognise that to mean "no added sugar")

Grilled halloumi rocks on the side with a peppered steak & mushrooms..
sliced like chips? (As an LC alternative.)

Feta with a leaf salad works to with olives & bacon squares for me..
It’s a nice salt cheese without reaching for the cellar.

We don’t touch reduced fat in this house.

 

[Chris24Main]

Grilled halloumi
sliced like chips?

This has probably been my biggest discovery of all the "new" low carb alternative things - Halloumi used to be that one thing I would add to the yearly barbecue, now there is always a packet in the fridge.